Bottles were developed centuries ago, with some of the earliest bottles appearing in China, Rome, and Crete. A bottle is defined as a rigid container with a neck that is smaller than the body, and a mouth or opening. Typically, but not universally, bottles are taller than wide. Bottles are often made of glass or plastic, although bottles may be made of any material that is generally impermeable to the liquid to be contained. Glass bottles are preferred in the distilled beverage industry, because glass is easily cleaned, enables long-term storage without degradation of the liquid content and inhibits seepage of external elements into the container and seepage of the liquid contents out of the container.
The design or configuration of a bottle or container can enhance or hinder its use. For example, it can be difficult to pour liquid from a bottle with a large body and short neck without spilling the liquid. This is even more difficult when the bottle is full of liquid. A bottle with a long neck may facilitate the ability to accurately pour the liquid, but if the body has a wide diameter relative to the neck, a large volume of liquid may fill the neck with a momentum that is difficult to control, making dispensing and halting the flow of the liquid more difficult. Many bottles also tend to have a height greater than the dimension of the base, making such bottles susceptible to being knocked over and the contents spilled. A glass bottle having a smooth exterior surface may be difficult to firmly grasp, particularly if the glass is wet, for example with condensation.
An example of a design that can enhance a container or fluid containing vessel is a child's self-righting training cup. Such a design is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,303,170 and 4,388,996 entitled “Self-Righting Training Cup”, assigned to Kiddie Products, Inc. In these examples, a cup is provided with a hemi-spherical shaped base with a flat circular bottom surface, a cylindrical upper portion and a weight positioned proximate the flat bottom. A cover substantially closes the open end of the cup and provides a sipper opening at the end of a spout. However, to reduce the weight of the cup and make the cup lighter, it was determined that the height of the upper cylindrical portion must be limited relative to the diameter of the lower hemi-spherical portion. Cups of this type typically have a limited tipping range. In other words, if tipped too far, the cup is unable to right itself.
An adult version of the self-righting cup is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,966. Here, a cup is disclosed having a hemi-spherical base and a centrally located circular flat bottom portion. The diameter of the circular bottom portion small compared to the diameter of the hemi-spherical portion. As a result, when tipped and released or when set down on the hemi-spherical portion of the base, the cup will have a tendency to return to its upright position but may also have a tendency to rotate along the curved hemi-spherical base and induce an undesired oscillating motion to the cup.
Another example is U.S. published patent application 2008/0257845, entitled “Self-Righting Baby Bottle.” Similar to the child-proof cups described in a preceding paragraph, the disclosed bottle has a hemi-spherical weighted base. In addition, the cap that encloses the open neck of the bottle includes a nipple that prevents significant spilling of the liquid contents if the bottle is significantly tipped, for example, beyond ninety degrees. The bottle is provided with a weighted end piece that does not include a flat bottom portion. As a result, when tipped and released the bottle will oscillate and the cap will move in a circular or elliptical path back and forth past the vertical position until the liquid in the bottle settles and the motion of the bottle dampens.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,303, entitled “Self-Righting Fluid-Storage Container,” is designed for athletes to use during training or competition without the need to be concerned about setting down the container. Rather, the design permits the athlete simply to drop or throw the container after use. Here, the design includes a long cylindrical container and an oversized weighted base. The base is elliptical in cross section to impart a purposeful rotation and oscillation of the container when released which gradually dampens the motion and moves the orientation of the container towards a desired vertical orientation. A straw and cap prevent excess spilling.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,139,325, entitled “Self-Righting Container,” is directed to a fluid container having an elongate tapered neck, a circular flange at the end of the neck and a weighted hemi-spherical base with a centrally located flat portion. As noted above, given the elongate neck and the oversized diameter of the hemi-spherical base, once the container is tipped and the fluid content moves to the open end of the neck, the momentum of the moving fluid is difficult to counteract without a significant counterbalancing weight. The hemi-spherical base will also impart a rotational and oscillating motion to the container upon release.
The foregoing references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and are hereby made a part of this specification. To the extent publications and patents or patent applications incorporated by reference contradict the disclosure contained in the specification, the specification is intended to supersede and/or take precedence over any such contradictory material.